Axis

View My Road in a larger map

I always knew where my "stomping grounds" were but it didn't occur to me before that I have lived most of my life within a few blocks of the same main road. Pin locations are approximate. In a way it's kind of sad. In a way it's kind of nice.

Heavy Things

I carried all my mom's groceries up the stairs Saturday instead of taking multiple trips. I had flashbacks to band practice when I carried my bass and amp up two flights to the top floor of the apartments. I only carried my big amp once at the same time as the bass. That was a mistake. Later when I lent my practice amp to our keyboardist I carried both together.

I am strong now. My kids are big and strong. My 12yo is a little viking warrior. We never give up and we never back down. It's deceptive to be so strong. You know this.

In the Blink of an Eye

I've been thinking, "My boss is really good at quick decisions and I kind of suck at it..." I even read that book "Blink" in June although it turned out to be more about trusting your gut instinct than snappy comebacks.

I needed to fill for my boss but I didn't have enough info or enough time to get the info so I turned out to be wishy-washy and annoying instead of helpful. Worse yet, this exact situation happened almost exactly the same way back around Memorial Day. So why didn't I do better this time?

I'm used to doing cost-benefit analyses. I'm used to going for accurate decisions not necessarily snap decisions. I hate inconveniencing anybody ever. I think of this person as a peer not a subordinate so could only offer an opinion not a decision. I think the answer is yes but there is conflicting info so I can't be 100% sure so maybe that means no...

But then I realized my boss has resources I don't. If he was there, he would have gotten my "67% yes" opinion hours before, turned it into a firm yes and everyone would be happy.

I have some goals to improve. I have to know my audience. My boss and other manager like to talk things out so we can all be on the same page. So for others who only need the answer I should just say "I'll get back to you." Come to a decision, plan on second-guessing myself on purpose, work through that and don't come back with any answer until I go through it again. Still doesn't sound fast... I'll set a 20 minute time limit.

I'm going to start making notes of my hunches before my analyses and see how they match. I've had pretty good intuition over the years. I'm used to keeping tabs on how things are and "Huh, that's weird..." has led to problems and solutions. I'm dedicated to continuous improvement ("Kaizen!" : ) and working on different fronts simultaneously, balancing sales efforts with expenses, lead times and forecasts, etc. So as long as I stay connected, I should be able to trust my own judgement.

Waiting, Not Actually the Hardest Part

Took a half day off work yesterday to help my mom file some paperwork. Hundreds of people can just sit and stare at the walls without talking or reading. They must have very interesting thoughts. I'd like to be in on that.

Museum Solar Video!

Here is a 2 minute video about the environmental efforts at the Toledo Museum of Art. Cool!

TEDxDetroit video

Here is a video from TEDxDetroit. Dr. Gary Gabel.

Checking In

Busy weekend! Took my Mom to the store and cleaned her house Saturday. Took my kids to see "Cirque Du Freak: Vampire's Assistant". Did my shopping Sunday. Didn't make it to see my Dad but should be tonight!